LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES #37. Another Year (film, 2010)

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE

Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

#37. Another Year (film, 2010)

Tom Hepple, a geologist, and his wife Gerri, a counsellor, are an older couple in London with a stable and affectionate marriage. The film follows their lives across the four seasons of a year, as they spend time with family and friends (such as Mary who is Gerri’s colleague at work and living as a middle-aged divorcee) who, in contrast, often experience varying levels of discontent and loneliness.

 

(The opening scene from the movie: Gerri’s counsels an insomniac patient named Janet at the medical center.)

GERRI: What would you say was the happiest moment of your life?

PATIENT: What d'you mean?

GERRI: Your nicest memory. Have a think.

            ……….When your children were born? …..Your wedding day?

PATIENT: I don't know.

GERRI: Take your time.

PATIENT: I can't remember.

GERRI: Can't, or won't?

             Can't or won't remember?

PATIENT: Don't know what I'm doing here. I don't want to come. Don't want to talk about my family - why should I? None of your business. All I need is a good night's sleep, and nobody's helping me.

GERRI: Okay. (She reflects for a moment.) On a scale of one to ten, how happy would you say you are, Janet?

PATIENT: One.

GERRI: One. (Slight smile.) I think there's room for improvement

there, don't you? What is the one thing that would improve your

life apart from sleep?

PATIENT: A different life.

GERRI: A different life. Change is frightening, isn't it?

PATIENT: Nothing changes.

ð    This scene from the opening of the movie Another Year serves as a thematic prologue to the film, showcasing a raw, unvarnished portrait of despair that contrasts with the contentment of the main character Gerri. The conversation implies the themes of loneliness, the resistance to change, and the futility of conventional, "by-the-numbers" counseling for deep-rooted and chronic existential unhappiness of an ordinary individual.

When Gerri asks for a happy memory, her patient Janet cannot produce one, revealing her inability to feel joy or look back positively. Her rating of her life as "one" out of ten on the scale of happiness, combined with her "miserable and expressionless" demeanor, shows a deep depression, rather than just insomnia. Although Janet claims all she needs is sleep, the conversation makes us easily guess that her sleeplessness is a symptom of a much deeper, entrenched dissatisfaction with her life.

Janet is reluctant and defensive, stating she doesn't want to talk about her family and considers it "none of your business". She is not looking for self-reflection but rather a quick fix (e.g., medicine) to keep functioning, rejecting the vulnerability required for counseling.

When asked what would improve her life, Janet replies "A different life," indicating she feels totally trapped in her current circumstances and believes nothing she does can change it. This scene acts as a template for the theme of quiet desperation of people that runs through the movie.

 

(Mary, a close friend of Gerri’s and coworker at the medical center): “I haven't got anybody telling me what to do. I mean, don't get me wrong..."

ð     Although Mary attempts to describe her life as a kind of liberating independence in front of her friend Gerri, it actually causes her significant anxiety, as she longs for a relationship to “rescue” her from loneliness. The phrase “don’t get me wrong” that follows reveals her unease with her own situation. It suggests she is trying to persuade both herself and others that she is content, even though she is deeply unhappy.

Mary, a middle-aged divorcee, puts on an energetic front, yet she is “full of tension” deep down inside of her. She appears to need direction and emotional support, but instead finds herself in a position where she must take responsibility for her own life—something she struggles to manage. There is also a strong sense of irony in her circumstances. Despite claiming independence, she relies heavily on her friends Tom and Gerri for emotional support and companionship, sometimes to an excessive degree. Ultimately, the line suggests that Mary is not truly in control of her own life; instead, she is drifting through it, presenting her isolation as a personal choice rather than confronting it as a painful reality.

 

(Ken, the friend of Gerri & Tom couple): “Young people, young people. Everything's for young people. Those bars, you know, they're full of young people shouting about nothing."

ð     Ken is a family friend to Tom and Gerri couple. He is a middle-aged single man with strong feelings of isolation, bitterness, and loneliness. He sees himself as pushed to the margins of society, believing that the world only prioritizes youth, while he views younger people as superficial, noisy, and lacking substance (“shouting about nothing”).

It reflects his sense of alienation, as he feels uncomfortable and out of place in modern social environments like bars. His comments also suggest resentment, particularly in his belief that everything is geared toward younger generations. At the same time, he shows clear disdain for youth culture, dismissing it as empty and meaningless. Through Ken’s words, we could see aging, contrasting lives that are fulfilling and connected with those that feel isolated and painfully stuck.

 

** Jean’s Small Thoughts:

Like many others, I have often reflected on human relationships. No matter the context—whether in the virtual world or in real life—people cannot exist in complete isolation like a caveman. At times, social media portrays single individuals as stylish and carefree, making them seem more appealing than couples whose lives may appear dull or routine. Conversely, for those who feel lonely, images of happy couples or families can seem like the ultimate ideal.

The film reveals the raw, unfiltered nature of ordinary people and illustrates how complex and changeable relationships can be, even among friends who appear close and understanding. It also carries a sense of sadness, showing how people often become reluctant to constantly support their lonely friends, especially when the need arises more often than expected. Some might respond with phrases like “Such is life.” or “that’s the way the bread falls on the buttered side.”

In the end, it invites a personal question: what would you say to yourself when you are floundering in moments of loneliness today? I would say to myself ‘Nobody could be in your shoes and completely understand your situations all the time. Try to find your everlasting cheering voice from within and lean on it to cry for a minute or two.’